Home is Where the Five Are
by Kaylentine
Summary: Post-Oblivion AU. In which the Five share a house in London, and begin the normal life they never had.


**A/N: Hey all! Kay here. So this is the first in a post-Oblivion (so spoilers for the book; if you haven't yet read it stop reading this and go read it now) AU. **

**SPOILERS FROM THIS POINT ON..**

* * *

**Basic premise is that they've all gone back in time, to before everything ****is screwed, and everyone is alive, and they all live together. Canon? Don't talk to me about canon. This is basically just an excuse to write fluffy fic featuring all of the five.**  


**Now, fic!**

* * *

_This is a bad idea._

Jamie turns his head away from the window to look at his brother. The first thing he notices is how tense Scott is. His jaw is clenched, and the way his eyes flick to Jamie and away betrays his anxiety. He doesn't once glance outside, his gaze boring into the headrest of the front seat.

_It's a great idea!_ Jamie keeps his tone light and encouraging, shifting to face his brother. _It's the best option we have._

_You think me living in a house with four people I've nearly gotten killed is a good idea? _Scott shoots at him.

The taxi driver adjusts the radio, humming quietly. Tapping his fingers on his knee, Jamie's vaguely tempted to make him pick a better station. _Scott, _Jamie tells him, reasonable, _you died for me, I'm not inclined to care. _

They've had this conversation before, and normally this is somewhat of a trump card, but this time Scott doesn't seem reassured. _And the other three people I don't share a telepathic bond with? _

Jamie frowns. _You basically died for them too. _

_Right, after I got Matt killed._

Jamie's frown deepens. _Matt doesn't care about that anymore. It had to happen._

Scott looks at him. _I still care._

_Well, too bad! If there are any problems you can sort them out personally. We're doing this. _

Scott looks away. _Of course. I forgot, you call the shots now, don't you?_

_I'm not _– Jamie shoots his brother a scowl as the taxi rolls to a stop. Grabbing his bag, he shoves the door open and climbs out.

After a momentary pause of confusion (why isn't he on the curb – oh right, he's in London) Jamie slams the door shut and goes to pay at the driver's window.

_Stop sulking,_ he thinks at his brother, while waiting for the change. Scott, standing on the curb with his hands stuffed into his pockets, glares back.

_I don't want to be here,_ is his reply.

Jamie ignores this. 'Thanks,' he tells the driver, then walks over to stand beside his brother. They both look at the house in front of them.

It's perfectly ordinary, with a neat front garden with a green lawn and flowers and bushes, but it's all the more extraordinary for its normalness. Jamie remembers a London of darkened ruins, charred, crumbling buildings and toxic radiation. This house looks like it belongs in a sitcom.

It has a low white fence. Jamie reaches out and swings the gate back and forth gently.

'It's nice, yeah?' he finally offers.

'Don't even bother,' says Scott, but he's staring at the house.

'Let's just go in,' Jamie says, deciding they've been standing on the footpath long enough.

'Fine.'

Scott waits for him to lead the way, and Jamie feels a momentary pang of nostalgia for the way it used to be, when he was always the one following after Scott. But he pushes this aside and heads up the short paved path to the door, Scott close behind.

He rings the doorbell, and they wait on the doorstep. Jamie can hear voices and laughter inside, and it grows louder, until the door flings open to reveal Scarlett beaming at them.

'You're finally here,' she exclaims, then yells over her shoulder into the house, 'it's the twins.' Jamie faintly hears a voice that sounds like Pedro, before Scarlett turns back to them. Jamie smiles as they hug; she smells like citrus fruits. She pauses for only a second before she hugs Scott too, and Jamie's glad to see that he responds, if a bit hesitantly.

'Come on,' she says, pulling back. 'Come inside! You live here now.'

She leads them through the entrance room, down the hall (and Jamie looks around at the plain walls in awe, imagining framed photos of himself) and into the kitchen, where Pedro is unpacking large cardboard boxes and Matt is putting cutlery into drawers.

They both look up and grin, and Jamie grins back, stepping forward to hug them both. 'This is so cool,' he says after. 'Our own house!'

'It's crazy, isn't it?' Scarlett says, hopping up to sit on the bench.

'We can decorate it ourselves and everything,' Matt says, going back behind the counter. He levitates forks into a drawer as he speaks. 'Except none of those tiny ceramic animals. I always hated those.'

'You'd probably break them,' muses Scarlett, as the cutlery clatters into place.

'We have to take lots of photos,' Pedro puts in, taking a stack of plates out of one box and placing it onto the counter.

'I was just thinking of that, yeah,' Jamie says. 'Framed photos, and hang them all around the house.'

'A photo album?' Matt suggests.

'A family portrait!' says Scarlett.

'Endless selfies,' says Jamie. Pedro raises an eyebrow, and Jamie adds, 'Those camera self-portraits, you know?'

Pedro shakes his head. 'Hipster,' he says, going back to a box.

'Shut up. Oh man! I can get a Polaroid camera.' Jamie stops suddenly. 'So what exactly is the deal, now? Like, money-wise? And...everything-wise?'

'The Nexus are giving us all allowances,' Matt says. 'Rent and bills are paid automatically. So basically we don't have to do anything ever. Except shop for our food but I'm not complaining about that.'

'Awesome. So, a Polaroid camera-'

'If you don't have a whole wall covered in photos, I'll be very disappointed,' Scarlett interrupts. Jamie laughs. Scarlett goes on, 'Actually, you still have your bags, do you want to see your rooms?'

'We weren't sure if you were sharing rooms,' Pedro adds, and Jamie turns to Scott inquiringly, realising how silent his twin has been.

Scott is still beside the door, standing apart from them all, away from the brightness and warmth of the kitchen. He freezes as they all look at him; he looks far too close to overwhelmed for Jamie's liking. 'I,' he begins, then looks at Jamie. 'I need some air.' Scott turns and bolts out of the kitchen, back down the hall. The door slams a few seconds later.

'Crap,' Jamie mutters, sliding his bag off his shoulder and dumping it on the counter.

'Are you sure he wants to be here, Jamie?' Scarlett asks.

'We both need to be here,' Jamie says, leaving the kitchen. 'He just hasn't realised it yet.'

* * *

Scott hasn't gone far; standing on the front porch Jamie almost walks into him as he exits the house.

_Hey,_ he says.

_Don't say anything._ Scott is staring out at the road, not looking at him, arms around his head and breathing shallowly.

_Sorry. _

_No, I mean, you can talk. Just don't say anything encouraging. Or understanding. Or any of that shit. _

Jamie sits down on the bench on the porch. _Okay. Um, I'm definitely getting a Polaroid camera. _

_You're ridiculous. _

_Seriously. Our room is going to be covered in them. Who needs wallpaper? I can have a wall for nature shots, a wall for pictures of sunset...or a wall for photos of each one of us? Is that creepy? _

_There are five of us. _

_Pedro can be the ceiling. Cos like, Inti, Sun god, sky, roof, huh? _

Scott exhales loudly. _So, sharing a room, then? _

_Well yeah! I mean, if you want to. I can understand not wanting to too, I mean, four years sharing a room...we're not sharing a mattress. _

_I like to think we'll have real beds this time. _

_You dream big, bro._ Jamie observes his brother carefully. Scott has a slight, wry, half-smile, and no longer looks slightly freaked out, which Jamie takes as a plus.

'Coming back inside?' he asks.

'Not yet. But here,' Scott shrugs off his backpack, and turns to give it to Jamie.

'Great.' Jamie takes it. 'I'll start unpacking.'

'Yeah. Do that.'

Jamie goes inside, but leaves the door wide open.

Ten minutes later, Scott comes back in, and they argue over beds for the next hour.


End file.
